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Collections

Unidentified artists
Sewing Box (Almohadilla)circa 1810

On view: David Geffen GalleriesSpanish America at the Center of the World / Lacquer and Shells in Asia and Latin America
Painted wooden box, open, with marigold-orange ground and polychrome figural scenes on lid panels and exterior; small mirror set into lid; heart-shaped silver lock plate on front
Rectangular wooden box with a padded, quilted lid upholstered in pale blue silk damask, trimmed with beaded braid. The painted panels on the sides depict figures in Regency-era dress in outdoor garden scenes, with a heart-shaped metal lock plate at center front.
Rectangular storage chest with light blue upholstered lid and painted wooden sides; the front panel depicts a cavalry battle scene on a yellow ground, with mounted soldiers carrying rifles and lances, flanking a cannon at right, bordered above and below by decorative painted friezes in red, green, and black.
Painted wooden casket shown open, with a yellow ground decorated with polychrome figural scenes on the exterior sides and lid interior, featuring dark cartouches with genre figures, floral scrollwork, a small mirror panel, and an interior fitted with compartments and a hinged subsidiary lid with medallion decoration.
Painted wooden box with open hinged lid, decorated overall with polychrome figural scenes on a yellow ground; interior features a small mirror, compartments, floral rosette panel, and a pop-up figure; exterior panels depict courtly figures in late 18th-century dress with rococo scrollwork borders.
Painted wooden storage chest, open to reveal interior compartments, with polychrome folk-painted decoration throughout. Exterior front panel shows figures in late 18th-century dress, cherubs, and architectural motifs on a yellow ground with red trim. Lid interior features two figural scenes in rococo cartouches flanking a small mirror, painted on dark green grounds with gold and red scrollwork. Interior surfaces decorated with floral sprays in red, pink, and green. Metal keyhole escutcheon and hinges visible.
Painted panel with an ornate rococo-style border of scrolling acanthus leaves in red, blue, green, and gold against an orange frame. Central scene on black ground shows three standing figures on a green surface: a man in a top hat and dark coat, a woman in a pink dress and white apron, and a third figure in a blue striped wrap extending an object toward the woman. Trees suggested in the background with loose brushwork.
Painted panel on a red-bordered wooden chest, green background with a gilt oval cartouche surrounded by polychrome rococo scrollwork; within the cartouche, a bust-length profile portrait of a man in a dark coat with red collar, facing left.
Painted panel with gilded rococo-style scrollwork border in red, blue, and gold on black ground; central scene depicts two figures seated on rocks in a dark landscape — a woman in a light blue dress facing a man in a red jacket and wide-brimmed hat who plays a small stringed instrument.
Painted panel on a red-bordered wooden chest, depicting a bust-length portrait of a woman in a pink dress and flower-trimmed hat, set within an oval gilt frame surrounded by polychrome rococo scrollwork and foliage on a green ground.
Painted panel with a small oval portrait medallion of a man in strict profile wearing a dark coat with red collar, set within an ornate gilded rococo cartouche of scrolling acanthus and foliage against a dark green ground with red border.
Painted panel with a bust-length portrait of a woman in a pink dress and flower-adorned hat, set within an oval gilded cartouche with scrolling rococo acanthus decoration on a green ground, red border.
Decorative painted panel with gilt background, depicting three figures in Regency-era dress: a seated man in a bicorne hat and blue coat accepts a glass from a woman in a pink dress holding a fan, while a servant in white carries a tray. A stone pedestal with a potted flowering plant stands at right. Black borders with gilt dot-and-swag ornament frame the scene; painted blue and red scrollwork at left edge.
Decorative painted panel with golden background, bordered by dark floral garlands with gilt dots. Four figures in early 19th-century dress stand in a landscape: a stooped elderly man, a man in a red coat and top hat, and two women in pink and green gowns. A weeping willow tree and a small gray building with a figure atop it appear at right. Painted rosette scrollwork in red, blue, and gold at the borders.
Painted and upholstered footstool with light blue fabric top trimmed in lace and metal rosettes. The wooden side panel, set against a yellow-orange ground, depicts a mounted soldier on a rearing white horse brandishing a sword toward a standing foot soldier holding a drum and rifle. Colorful painted scrollwork in pink, teal, and gold frames the scene on a black lacquered border with floral garlands.
Painted wooden chest or footstool with light blue upholstered cushion top trimmed with woven braid. Front panel painted on gold ground shows three figures: a standing child holding a pot, an adult bending forward embracing an elderly figure, with a dog and tree in the background. Painted acanthus scroll borders in teal, red, and cream flank the scene; upper and lower edges decorated with dark bands of foliage and dotted gilt ornament.
Folk art oil painting, full-length figure of a young woman in a pale blue Empire-style dress and red slippers, standing on a green ground against a dark background, holding a pink rose in each hand with flat, naive technique.
Small-scale oil painting of a standing man in profile, wearing a red high-collared jacket and pale trousers, one hand slightly extended, set against a dark brown background with a red painted border and green oval ground.
Folk art panel painting on dark ground; bust-length portrait of a young person in a blue off-shoulder dress with pearl necklace, gazing downward, set within a decorative oval wreath of gilt scrollwork, green leaves, and red and purple acanthus flourishes.
Painted floral still life on a dark brown ground, featuring a central stylized bloom in deep blue and gold surrounded by pink roses, red berries with yellow centers, and green leaves, rendered in a bold folk art style with opaque brushwork.
Painted floral decoration on dark brown surface, featuring a symmetrical arrangement of pink roses, green leaves, small red and orange berries, and a central gold lattice-patterned oval surrounded by blue and navy circular forms, with flat, folk-art style brushwork.

Unidentified artists, Sewing Box (Almohadilla), circa 1810, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Unidentified artists
Title
Sewing Box (Almohadilla)
Place Made
Mexico, Pátzcuaro (Michoacán)
Date Made
circa 1810
Medium
Wood, lacquer, and paint
Dimensions
5 3/8 × 17 × 5 1/8 in. (13.7 × 43.2 × 13 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund
Accession Number
M.2008.17
Classification
Furnishings
Collecting Area
Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes

This elaborate lacquered sewing box combines Asian-inspired and European motifs, including willow trees and scenes of courtship, charity, and battle. The interior features two panels with miniature portraits of a man and a woman in fashionable European clothing; the panels open up to reveal two additional full-length portraits on the back. The lid, however, depicts an Indigenous woman wearing a rebozo (shawl) within a Rococo frame, signaling that this prized luxury good was an unmistakable product of Mexico.

In the region of Michoacán, in west-central Mexico, inlaid lacquered objects belonged to an ancient and refined tradition. After the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s, Indigenous artists adapted the technique to new types of artifacts. The inflow of Asian objects and the European craze for lacquer (chinoiserie and japanning) inspired local artists to create their own versions, garnering fervent admiration. The town of Pátzcuaro was an acclaimed production center for fine lacquerware.

Ilona Katzew

2024

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Griscom, Maine; L’Antiquaire & the Connoisseur Inc., New York, c. 2007; LACMA, 2008.

Selected Bibliography
  • Katzew, Ilona, ed. Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800: Highlights from LACMA’s Collection. Exh. Cat. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books/D.A.P., 2022.

  • Rachel Kaplan, “A Mexican Sewing Box Full of Stories and Surprises,” Unframed, August 8, 2022, https://unframed.lacma.org/2022/08/08/mexican-sewing-box-full-stories-and-surprises.

Selected Exhibition History
  • Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800. June 12, 2022 - October 30, 2022
  • Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800. October 20, 2023 - January 28, 2024
  • Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800. June 22, 2024 - September 08, 2024

Related Exhibitions

Related Unframed

Related Unframed

A Mexican Sewing Box Full of Stories and Surprises
A Mexican Sewing Box Full of Stories and Surprises
  • August 8, 2022
  • Rachel Kaplan